Seeing more and more people on the big stone bridge, Lu Yang suggested they leave and find a quiet place. The four of them went into a secluded forest. Lu Yang took out a map of Yanjing County, which marked the nodes for the Reverse Lifespan Formation they had deduced last time.
"The node positions for the Reverse Lifespan Formation should be the same as before. Before we proceed, I want to confirm something: Lanting, when you said to use blood as a sacrifice, do you mean to kill someone at the node, or to use the blood of cultivators as offerings to activate the formation?"
Lanting didn’t quite understand Lu Yang's question. "Both methods are possible, but usually, the first method is used. Killing someone only requires a common person, while using too much blood from cultivators can affect their cultivation and be harmful for future practice."
Lu Yang pondered for a moment. "Then the person setting up the formation would likely use the second method."
The other three were confused. The person setting up the formation was surely a dark cultivator, and for dark cultivators, killing was definitely easier than using blood.
"Who do you think has the power to hide the Reverse Lifespan Formation in a small flag and set it up overnight? Even if someone gets sleepy, no one would suspect anything."
Meng Jingzhou suddenly realized. "Someone from the government, and someone high-ranking!"
Lu Yang nodded. "Exactly, to be precise, it's the county magistrate!"
"What!"
As soon as he said this, Mang Gu and Lanting were shocked, while Meng Jingzhou seemed to have expected it and didn’t react much. He had mentioned earlier that collusion between the government and dark cultivators was not uncommon.
"Last night, I heard someone from the government say that when the small flags were being set up, Magistrate Li personally supervised it and insisted that the positions of the flags must be correct."
"Does it really require the county magistrate to supervise this? Even using the excuse of being diligent and caring for the people seems too far-fetched!"
"This only means that Magistrate Li used the small flags to set up the Reverse Lifespan Formation that covers the entire county!"
Mang Gu suddenly understood and felt the world was truly dark. "So, the undercover agent placed by the branch in Yanjing County is Magistrate Li. With his cultivation and position, it would be more accurate to say they have a cooperative relationship?"
Lu Yang shook his head. "Not an undercover agent, nor a partner. I suspect that the leader of the Chu branch and Magistrate Li are the same person!"
"I don’t have direct evidence, just two points of suspicion."
"First, the time when the leader of the Chu branch summoned us is usually at night. I asked other stewards about this, and they said other branches don't do it this way."
"Second, both the leader of the Chu branch and Magistrate Li are looking to get promoted, and the timing is almost the same."
Mang Gu gasped in shock. If the leader of the Chu branch and Magistrate Li were the same person, wouldn’t that mean both the righteous and dark paths were being played?
"Of course, they might be two different people. This is just speculation, but in any case, the method to activate the Reverse Lifespan Formation definitely won't be killing common people!"
Mang Gu still didn’t get it, so Meng Jingzhou explained. "Magistrate Li wants to get promoted. If a violent murder happens during the Spring Festival, he won’t have a chance at promotion. Even if he has connections, the higher-ups can't openly promote him."
"And with the magistrate's status, getting the blood of cultivators is easy. He could just find a few cultivators in the prison."
Lanting still had some doubts. "Is there a connection between Magistrate Li and the leader of the Chu branch setting up the Reverse Lifespan Formation?"
"I think there’s a significant connection." After realizing the relationship between the leader of the Chu branch and Magistrate Li, Lu Yang had a new perspective on many things.
"Not to mention the political achievements of capturing three Foundation Establishment dark cultivators, if there were no branch, a small county wouldn’t have that many Foundation Establishment dark cultivators. This would be equivalent to eliminating the dark cultivators' leadership in the entire county."
"After the Reverse Lifespan Formation is activated, it might not seem obvious at first, but over time, people will definitely notice something."
"If the leader of the Chu branch hadn’t acted first, the government would have vigorously pursued the murderer. At that point, both the Yanjing branch and Magistrate Li would be at risk of exposure."
"Magistrate Li cleverly arranged for the leader of the Chu branch to act first."
"Even if the leader of the Chu branch set up the Reverse Lifespan Formation, if Magistrate Li activates it to reduce the lifespans of common people, the government will only focus on the leader of the Chu branch."
Mang Gu was surprised. "But the leader of the Chu branch didn’t succeed in setting it up."
Lu Yang sneered. "Not succeeding is just one side of the story from the leader of the Chu branch. It’s possible that the formation was activated, but due to improper handling, it only reduced lifespans without increasing his own cultivation. After all, it’s a strange formation, and anything can happen."
Mang Gu still couldn’t understand. "But the two companions of the leader of the Chu branch can also confirm that it didn’t succeed."
Lu Yang replied, "Companions? Where do dark cultivators have companions? They all use each other. It’s reasonable for the leader of the Chu branch not to tell those two the truth."
"With such obvious suspects, who would doubt the leader of the Chu branch?"
"And the leader of the Chu branch has many crimes. He would definitely face the death penalty. By the time the government discovers that the Reverse Lifespan Formation was activated, the leader of the Chu branch might already be executed."
"With the leader of the Chu branch as a target, who would suspect Magistrate Li?"
Meng Jingzhou and Lanting nodded frequently, agreeing with Lu Yang's viewpoint.
Lu Yang then asked, "Also, are there seven nodes that need blood sacrifices?"
Lanting looked at Lu Yang in surprise and nodded, not understanding how he knew this, since it was said he didn’t understand formations.
"When I left yesterday, I encountered seven stewards who were temporarily summoned by the leader of the Chu branch. They must have some task. I guess they were arranged to bring blood to the formation nodes and wait for the right moment."
"Then, can you tell me more about the Reverse Lifespan Formation?"
Lanting didn’t refuse and marked seven points on the map of Yanjing County. "These seven places are the key nodes for activation, located near the scenic spots in Yanjing County, with the core at... the hillside of Song Mountain!"
To break through using the Reverse Lifespan Formation, it was necessary to choose a secluded place.
"We should first remove some of the Reverse Lifespan talismans to prevent the formation from activating. But doing this might attract the attention of the leader of the Chu branch. Instead of waiting for him to find us, it’s better for us to ambush him first," Lu Yang said.
He was worried about a fight with the leader of the Chu branch, which was why he hadn’t left their fighting methods in the recording orb.
The three of them felt troubled. When the time comes, it would be a life-or-death battle, and the leader of the Chu branch was a late Golden Core cultivator, making him very hard to deal with.
"Can we report this to the authorities and tell Fang Qingyun?" Mang Gu asked.
Lu Yang shook his head. "If Fang Qingyun learns about the formation on the small flags, he will definitely suspect Magistrate Li. If Magistrate Li gets caught, our identities as dark cult members will be exposed."
Lanting hesitated. "With just the four of us, it’s probably hard to take down a late Golden Core cultivator."
Lu Yang was confident. "I’m not worried. We’ll be fully prepared, and if it really comes to it, I have a backup plan."
"What is it?"
"Senior Sister’s Shape-Form Fist!"
Meng Jingzhou and Mang Gu's faces changed drastically upon hearing this. Lanting noticed their reaction and was puzzled. "What is Senior Sister’s Shape-Form Fist?"
"It’s the ultimate move of the Lu Family's Shape-Form Fist!" Lu Yang said confidently.
Lanting nodded, seeming to understand but still a bit confused.
(End of Chapter)